- length
- [[t]le̱ŋθ[/t]]
♦♦lengths1) N-VAR: oft with poss, oft amount in N, N of amount The length of something is the amount that it measures from one end to the other along the longest side.
It is about a metre in length.
...the length of the fish...
The plane had a wing span of 34ft and a length of 22ft.
2) N-VAR: oft with poss, oft amount in N The length of something such as a piece of writing is the amount of writing that is contained in it....a book of at least 100 pages in length...
The length of a paragraph depends on the information it conveys.
3) N-VAR: oft with poss, oft amount in N The length of an event, activity, or situation is the period of time from beginning to end for which something lasts or during which something happens.The exact length of each period may vary...
His film, over two hours in length, is a subtle if slightly ponderous dissection of family life.
4) N-COUNT: with supp, oft N of n A length of rope, cloth, wood, or other material is a piece of it that is intended to be used for a particular purpose or that exists in a particular situation....a 30ft length of rope...
You can hang lengths of fabric behind the glass.
5) N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n The length of something is its quality of being long.Many have been surprised at the length of time it has taken him to make up his mind...
I noticed, too, the length of her fingers.
6) N-COUNT: usu num N If you swim a length in a swimming pool, you swim the distance from one end to the other.I swim 40 lengths a day.
7) N-COUNT: usu num N In boat racing or horse racing, a length is the distance from the front to the back of the boat or horse. You can talk about one boat or horse being one or more lengths in front of or behind another.Harvard won by four lengths.
8) N-SING: the N of n If something happens or exists along the length of something, it happens or exists for the whole way along it.I looked along the length of the building...
The inspiration stemming from his travels lasted the length of his career.
9) → See also full-length10) PHRASE: PHR cl If someone does something at length, they do it after a long period of time. [LITERARY]At length my father went into the house.
11) PHRASE: PHR after v If someone does something at length, they do it for a long time or in great detail.They spoke at length, reviewing the entire incident.
12) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that someone goes to great lengths to achieve something, you mean that they try very hard and perhaps do extreme things in order to achieve it.Greta Garbo went to great lengths to hide from reporters and photographers.
English dictionary. 2008.
